King Duncan vs. Franz Ferdinand

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King Duncan of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth plays a vital role in the storyline of the play. Duncan possesses many qualities which make him a great king, but possesses qualities which lead to his ultimate demise as well. Not only does Duncan do what he thinks is best for his people, but he (also) has a true compassion for each individual Scot. His downfall, though, is caused by his naivety. Duncan places his trust in someone he should not. A strong comparison can be drawn to (change to "between") King Duncan from (change to "and") the Archduke of Austria from 1889 through 1914, Franz Ferdinand. Both men were leaders of their countries, the reign of both men came to an end by way of assassination, and the deaths of both caused a war.(fabulous intro.)

The obvious similarity between King Duncan and Archduke Franz Ferdinand is that both men were the leaders of their respective countries. Though it is never clearly stated how Duncan came to be ruler of Scotland in Macbeth, we assume that he has been in power for the majority of his life. Similarly, Ferdinand became the Archduke of Austria at a young age and ruled for the majority of his life. During the time that each was ruling(,) they were very compassionate about their people and their country as a whole but, (move this comma in front of "but") were also very naive (and as a result both men were killed).

The poor judgment of people on Duncan's part is clearly demonstrated in his speaking about the Thane of Cawdor. Duncan says (,) "There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face: / He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust" (1.5.11-14). Duncan later shows his naivety when he names Macbeth the new Thane of Cawdor: "No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive / Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, / And with his former title greet Macbeth" (1.2.63-65). Macbeth, the man Duncan trusts to be his new Thane, eventually murders Duncan and usurps the throne of Scotland. Archduke Ferdinand's death was also a result of a trust in his people. On June 28, 114 (1914), a grenade was thrown at his car during a parade. The grenade missed Ferdinand but injured many innocent bystanders. Ferdinand overtly followed those who were injured to the nearest hospital, trusting his security detail of four men to protect him, eventually allowing the attacker, Gavrilo Princip, to follow and murder him.

Also, the assassinations of both rulers caused a war to break out. When Macbeth came to power, an enormous opposition was led by both Macduff and Duncan's son Malcolm. Macbeth was soon slain by Macduff and Duncan's vengeance was had. Similarly, Franz Ferdinand's assassination started World War I. The complicated alliances of Europe set over 20 countries fighting against each other in a war within weeks. Eventually, the organization with (which) Gavrilo Princip belonged to was decimated by the Central Powers (allies of Austria), getting revenge on behalf of Archduke Ferdinand and his family.

King Duncan and Archduke Franz Ferdinand played very similar roles in their societies and had fairly similar lives (and deaths) as rulers. Both were compassionate and naive rulers, both were assassinated because of their poor judgment, and both of their assassinations caused wars. Through these roles, Duncan, his life, and his death(,) had a monumental impact on Macbeth and Ferdinand, his life, and his death, had a monumental impact on the entire world.

A successful comparison!